Former Catholic priest Fernando Noe Guzman speaks with his attorney, Candelario Elizondo, in 1992 at the Grimes County courthouse in Anderson, north of Houston. Guzman was accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl at her grandfather’s home. The allegations against him surfaced after a church secretary in Galena Park file a multimillion-dollar lawsuit accusing him of forcing her into a sexual relationship. The lawsuit was dismissed, but Guzman was charged with sexual assault in Grimes County. He pleaded guilty, was granted shock probation and served 90 days in jail. Guzman, who died in 2006, was removed from the ministry in 1987.

Former Catholic priest Fernando Noe Guzman speaks with his attorney, Candelario Elizondo, in 1992 at the Grimes County courthouse in Anderson, north of Houston. Guzman was accused of molesting a 14-year-old

Former Catholic priest Fernando Noe Guzman speaks with his attorney, Candelario Elizondo, in 1992 at the Grimes County courthouse in Anderson, north of Houston. Guzman was accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl at her grandfather’s home. The allegations against him surfaced after a church secretary in Galena Park file a multimillion-dollar lawsuit accusing him of forcing her into a sexual relationship. The lawsuit was dismissed, but Guzman was charged with sexual assault in Grimes County. He pleaded guilty, was granted shock probation and served 90 days in jail. Guzman, who died in 2006, was removed from the ministry in 1987.

Former Catholic priest Fernando Noe Guzman speaks with his attorney, Candelario Elizondo, in 1992 at the Grimes County courthouse in Anderson, north of Houston. Guzman was accused of molesting a 14-year-old

"You just got to be a big idiot to say, 'Hey, you know what? I'm going to hire this person even though they've got this accusation against them,'" said William Rushing, pastor of Woodward Avenue Baptist Church in Alabama.

Of the 220 church leaders convicted nationally, about 100 of them were described as youth pastors or youth ministers, the investigation found.

Some of those youth pastors and ministers were convicted of sexually assaulting members their young congregation or having prolonged sexual relationships. Those assaults sometimes happened in pastors' studies or Sunday school rooms.

One of those youth pastors was Chad Foster, who worked at Houston's Second Baptist Church when he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an underage congregant.

Photo: John Van Beekum

In this 1979 file photo, attendees of the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting, held that year in Houston, form a "human cross" at the Astrodome.

In this 1979 file photo, attendees of the Southern Baptist...

"You can't let your guard down," said Amanda Griffith, a federal prosecutor in San Diego who has handled dozens of sex crime cases, including those involving predatory youth pastors. "There's the belief that church is sacrosanct, but this can happen anywhere."

"My initial reaction is anger that (the abuse) happened," Boto said. "Just within the last few months I was in a car that was broken into and my briefcase was stolen. My initial reaction was not embarrassment that I didn't watch the car close enough or that I left the briefcase on the seat. That was not my initial reaction. My initial reaction was anger that the predator did what he did. Taking advantage of the vulnerable is what criminals do. And when that happens, our job is to voice it. Not to hide it."